Governance

The Governing Body of Banwell Primary School is a group of people drawn from our community who volunteer our time, energy and expertise to support the management of the school and oversee the performance of the Senior Leadership Team. We are collectively accountable to all school stakeholders – pupils, parents, staff, the local authority and Ofsted. The Governing Body is responsible for:

• setting the school's vision, ethos and strategic direction
• holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
• overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

We welcome your feedback and ideas about the school so please don't hesitate to approach us at school or drop a letter into the office addressed to the Chair of the Governors. 

I have been a co-opted Governor at Banwell Primary since July 2014.

My background is in the world of public libraries and I have held a variety of roles.  These have varied from being a children’s librarian to managing a group of five libraries.  My work has been in various local authorities in England and Northern Ireland and I have developed a wide range of skills that I hope are relevant to the school. 

I took redundancy in 2014, after nearly ten years as the librarian to Bristol School Library Service and now undertake part-time consultancy work as well as being a children’s book blogger and reviewer for several journals.

How do I make a difference to our school?

I am Vice-Chair of the governing body, and also the lead-Governor for literacy: something that I am passionate about, having been the chair of judges for the "Carnegie Book Award" in 2010.  In this role, I help to make sure that we hold the headteacher to account for the performance of the school in literacy and that decisions are made in the best interests of the children.

I was appointed as Headteacher of Banwell Primary School from September 2014. At this time I also became a governor. I have worked in two other North Somerset primary schools since qualifying as a teacher in 1996.

How do I make a difference to our school?

I serve as a member of the governing body’s Teaching and Learning Committee and School Management Committee.

I have experience of being a governor at my previous school where I was part of their Governing Body for six years. I was also a Deputy Headteacher for six years and have also been a SENCo, Maths Subject Leader and Key Stage Leader. I therefore have a breadth of knowledge and experience about how different schools are led and managed.

I am totally committed to ensuring that our young learners achieve the best that they possibly can in all areas. This is reflected in our strapline “Belong Believe Achieve” which every member of the school team is truly invested in.

I have been a Local Authority Governor since 2007.  My association with the school goes back much further, however, having been a pupil here longer ago than I care to own up to!

During my son's time at Banwell School, I was part of the PTA & had the pleasure of being the Chair during our millennium celebrations.

My village interests extend beyond the school.  Together with many others, I played a key role in the founding of the Children's Centre and still serve as a member of the partnership group.  For over a decade, I chaired Banwell Youth Club and remain a committee member.  I served as a parish councillor for eleven years, and was a member of the Village Hall Committee.

Another group I have been involved with for some twenty years is the Village Cemetery Committee.  As a past chair, I can tell you it is not as macabre as it may sound, being mainly concerned with planning ground maintenance, finance and the like.  In truth though, I must confess to the school being my overriding priority.

How do I make a difference to our school?

I have recently become the lead-governor for health and safety: a role that involves ensuring our school is safe and secure for children, staff, volunteers and visitors.

In 1998, I started hearing children read at school - many parents may have seen the moniker 'Richard T' in their children's reading records.  It has been, and remains, a real privilege to play a very small part in the children's development and one of the most rewarding things I have ever done; I would certainly recommend anyone with a few hours to spare a week to give it a go. 

Governor Committees

The Governing Body committee is

Pay Committee

• Responsible for: monitoring of staff performance and appraisal, and pay
• Chair: Helen Williams

ELAN Governance Information for information regarding the structure and remit of the members and board of trustees